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by Greg Perry
Many public relations pros believe the best time to research editorial calendar opportunities is when the leaves begin to fall and football is in the air. While late fall/early winter is the most popular time for publications to release their editorial calendars for the coming year, there are lots of hidden gems you can find during other months that may have been previously overlooked or added to a calendar since the close of the year.
 As of the writing of this post, nearly half of the half million story opportunities have yet to reach their respective deadline dates. If you’re just starting to think of the editorial calendar opportunities available or you have a new project or client, there are still plenty out there for you. This is especially true if you have a green energy, travel, sustainability or corporate responsibility story to tell as these are some of the top story opportunities published in editorial calendars for this year.
If you’re in the fashion or retail space, you are also in luck. While we’re late to the party for Mother’s Day gift guides, almost all the 2012 holiday gift guides are still pre-deadline. There are also hundreds of “fall fashion” story opportunities that are awaiting your pitch. And you would be surprised at how many non-sports related magazines have some type of “tailgating” issue in the works, most pre-deadline.
The great news is you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars for an up-to-date editorial calendar database – there are some great ones available for around $500 per year. If you are looking to go an even lower cost route, you can spend time searching the Web which has made editorial calendars more accessible than ever. It wasn’t so long ago that getting your hands on editorial calendars meant calling up a publication, asking them to mail you a copy, and waiting for it to arrive in your mailbox before finally getting to the good stuff. If you are fortunate enough to have interns or entry level staff, researching editorial calendars is a great way to introduce them into the wonderful world of media outreach and research. Here are some tips to get them started and to help accelerate their search:
- Make a list of your key publications.
- Research each publication’s website – this is where most will publish their editorial calendars.
- Find the diamond in the rough by digging deep and knowing the synonyms for your key message. For example, don’t just search for ‘green energy’, also search for ‘clean energy’, ‘alternative energy’, ‘wind’, ‘solar’, etc. It may sound elementary, but you’d be surprised at how many folks give up after a quick cursory search. Their miss could be your next media hit.
Once your team has compiled a list of available opportunities and you’re ready to start pitching, remember that when you introduce yourself to journalists, you should be clear about what you can provide to them, not just what you want from them. If you’re able to line up an executive level interview or a quote for their story, let the journalist know and be ready to deliver when the deadline approaches.
Make this spring your season for hunting and pitching rather than waiting for the fall to see what stories are available for next year. There is a lot of 2012 left to come and most of your competitors quit researching editorial calendars months ago. Take advantage of the opportunities still open and enjoy the hunt!
Public relations professionals know that getting their pitch in the right hands is arguably the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to scoring media hits. Reaching influencers who want to provide coverage can mean the difference between a successful campaign and one that falls flat. But public relations professionals have typically relied on wire services to distribute their releases. With more distribution options available today than ever before, it may be time to update your distribution process to increase the reach and resonance of your releases.
Direct Message Distribution
A direct message distribution service like MyMediaInfo connects public relations and marketing professionals who send out releases with influencers looking for pitches from a particular industry, beat, or subject area. By creating a specific media contacts list and sending it through a one-to-one messaging system, PR’s can build relationships with their contacts, proactively follow-up on the releases they send and keep track of recipients. These types of tools allow for a greater level of control over the life of the release and insight into how well it was received. They also encourage relationship building and precision in communicating with influencers rather than blasting out information to all media outlets, including those that may not give the information consideration because it is not relevant to their areas of coverage. This targeted approach may seem daunting to some as it requires PR’s to take the time to develop relationships with journalists and influencers, but the payoff can be better coverage and a higher campaign success rate.
Self-Publishing Tools
Self-publishing tools such as the one available in Thomson ONE Public Relations are quickly gaining traction as a more efficient, secure and cost-effective alternative to traditional wire services. Self-publishing tools give PRs full control of the release creation and distribution process, eliminating the need for back and forths with a third party provider. Such tools typically apply a flat annual pricing model, eliminating the need for per word or per release charges. If you are a public company considering this option, evaluate providers who offer proprietary disclosure distribution networks. Such networks should ensure regulatory compliance while maximizing the reach of your disclosure release to all key outlets as well as to your investor relations website which has become a primary research destination for both investors and the media.
SEO Enhancement Distribution Tools
Many tools dedicated to optimizing press releases for visibility in search engines have cropped up over the past few years. Services like PR.com and others aim to help press releases get picked up on aggregation sites such as Yahoo News and Google News through the use of keywords and social media sharing which can result in increased coverage. This type of distribution tool is most effective when used with proactive, targeted outreach to specific outlets, journalists and influencers to encourage coverage for your pitch.
For many public relations professionals, leveraging the benefits from a combination of these distribution tools is the right answer. Finding a system that works best for you may take a bit of testing, but the payoff can be more visibility for releases and successful campaigns, and those results are well worth it!
By Rachel Sherman, MyMediaInfo
It seems like everywhere you turn someone is making the case for having a social media presence for your business, but keeping up with every new network out there is a pretty daunting task. You have to be selective because each one you engage with is a time and resource commitment. And when it really comes down to it, not every social network is right for every business. Even Facebook. So, how do you know which ones you need to be a part of to help meet your goals? Here are some things to consider as you plan your social media strategy for the coming year.
Who are you looking to engage with?
If your target audience is other businesses, investing your time and energy into a social network that is full of consumers may not be your best bet. Do your research to figure out if a particular social network is right for you. Use the search feature to dig around (search on keywords that are a good representation of your offerings) and get a sense of whether the people on the site are the people you want to reach.
How much time can you devote?
While the whole point of social networking is to be consistently engaged, some social networks can require more effort and attention than others. If you are selecting networks that require a constant watch or interaction, you’ll want to factor that in to your decision. Also, it’s important to think realistically about the sustainability of your effort. There’s nothing less social than getting to a page and seeing it hasn’t been updated for months or that it has been abandoned. More often than not, having no page is better than having a dated page so if you’re getting into a social media network make sure you have the resources to go all in.
What goals are you trying to meet?
It’s important to think about your goals and what you expect to get out of your social media participation. There are so many different reasons to build a social media presence. Perhaps you want to use it as an avenue for lead generation or you’d like to show your expertise and thought leadership in your field. Maybe you just want to show a different side your business and give an ‘insider’ look to your daily happenings. Whatever your reason for becoming part of the social media universe may be, there is a social network out there designed to fit your purpose.
Who are you representing?
While it can be tempting to combine our personal and professional selves on social media as a way of streamlining our lives, there’s a big caveat that comes along with doing so. Your professional contacts are probably not interested in the great deal you just scored on a new winter jacket or what you watched on television last night, and your friends and family might not want to hear the twelve biggest gripes public relations folks have with journalists. Know your audience, keep focused on delivering content that they are most interested in and make it a priority to add value to the community.
When it comes to social media, it’s always worth mentioning that once something is posted, it’s out. Even the ability to delete doesn’t ensure that what you’ve posted will disappear, so it’s always a good policy to read twice before you hit the post button. And most importantly, even though social media can be a great way to make new contacts and build your identity, keep in mind that it will never take the place of face-to-face, real-life networking. A smile and handshake trump tapping away at a keyboard every time.
With over 350,000 story opportunities for 2012 in MyEdCals, we’ve noticed a trend for the coming year with magazines dedicating pages to Corporate Social Responsibility. Over the last few months, the Occupy movement has opened up a national dialogue on how companies are making a positive impact on a social level, and based on the opportunities in MyEdCals, the topic will remain at the forefront over the next 12 months.
The top Corporate Social Responsibility story topics for 2012 are:
- Corporate Philanthropy
- Community Involvement
- Environmental Impact
Corporate Philanthropy – With political and social movements turning the microscope on corporate profits in the last months of 2011, corporate philanthropy will be a major focus in 2012. While many companies have long supported social causes quietly as part of their corporate mission, the coming year will likely bring these efforts to the forefront, and magazines will heavily feature content on the topic.
Community Involvement – Businesses are an important part of the communities within which they function, and how they engage with neighbors communicates a great deal about their commitment to corporate social responsibility. How companies are giving back on both a local and global scale will be a subject of great interest in 2012.
Environmental Impact – ‘Green’ has been a hot topic for the past few years, but the focus has been on personal and household impact on the ecosystem. Over the next twelve months, magazines will shift the attention from individual impact and move toward content that puts the spotlight on the way in which businesses operate to help promote a healthy environment.
The challenging economic climate seems to have heavily influenced what magazines will be writing about in the coming year, and Real Estate and Home topics will be getting a lot of attention in 2012. With the Real Estate market in tough shape and people putting off moving to stay put, there’s a lot of focus on home improvement, landscaping and decorating. Here are the top Real Estate and Home story topics for 2012.
- Gardens & Landscape
- Home Automation
- Design & Architecture
- Interiors & Decoration
- Home Improvement & Renovation
Gardens & Landscape – With a difficult real estate market persisting, homeowners are making improvements to their current home, starting with beautifying their outdoor space. For those looking to discover their green thumb or for people who are already experts, there will be numerous resources available to help them meet their goals with Gardens and Landscape proving to be a hot topic for the coming year.
Home Automation – It’s not just for the Jetson’s! As technology focuses on ways to make our everyday lives simpler and more comfortable, solutions that keep us in control of our homes while we’re away from home are being developed daily. In 2012, magazines will dedicate pages to advances that allow us to control everything from the lights in our living room to the temperature in our home, all from a remote device like a smartphone or computer.
Design & Architecture – Whether you see the home as the ultimate showpiece, are interested mainly in maximizing space and function, or just love to imagine your dream house, an amazing design is a necessity. With so many styles and sensibilities to pore over, it’s not a surprise that home design and architecture stories will get lots of attention over the next twelve months.
Interiors & Decoration – It’s the small touches and homey décor that make a house into a home, so it’s no surprise that stories about interiors and decoration rate high on magazine editorial calendars in the coming year. Focusing on making indoor living spaces attractive, comfortable and functional, is not only a fun and creative outlet, but is also a great and affordable way to change the look and feel of any room.
Home Improvement & Renovation – With people staying put in their homes during a tough real estate market, home improvement and renovation projects are an outlet for making changes big and small or for fixing things that have gone ignored for awhile. In 2012, magazines will offer plenty of stories about home improvement, all of which will likely be of great interest to the many intrepid do-it-yourself readers out there.
By Eric Hill, Co-Founder & President, MyMediaInfo
One of my favorite commercials is an AT&T commercial for their 4G LTE phone. Two guys are tailgating at a football game, sitting in their chairs, and are way ahead of everyone else because of the speed of their network and phone. Throughout AT&T’s 4G campaign, the overwhelming theme of speed of information is drilled home. From the office guy who sounds off that he wasn’t invited to the Taco party to the Flash Mob dancer that didn’t get the text to start an hour later, AT&T is pushing speed.
In the business world and especially in my own world, speed and accuracy of information is extremely important. However, in our never-ending quest to share, learn and gain new knowledge through technology, we’re sometimes too distracted to understand the whole story and learn some great life lessons. I wanted to share a personal story that inspires me when I think I am having a rough day. This is the story of Joe Lee, my Father-in-Law.
At 14, Joe was forced to leave his homeland and move to America. Joe’s family was in dire straits and if he couldn’t provide for his mother and sister, as well as his aunt and two cousins, they may have died. So Joe got on a boat, alone, and traveled thousands of miles to a land where he didn’t speak the language and hardly knew a soul.
Joe didn’t complain, but instead did exactly what he had to do. He forfeited his childhood for his family’s survival. He worked tirelessly in a laundromat, always sacrificing everything but the most basic needs so he could send money home to his family. After many years in the US, Joe was able to get married and have 5 beautiful daughters, but life was still difficult for him. Even though the Army rejected him due to his flat feet, he would work 12-15 hours a day as a cook, bartender or waiter to feed his growing family. Tragedy struck when Joe’s wife, May, died from cancer, when their youngest daughter was only a few years old. Joe’s mother left her homeland, never to return, for the US to raise five girls she never met. After all, it was Joe who did the same many years earlier for her.
 Joe married again a few years later. Two more children, a girl and boy, were added to the ever growing clan. Joe raised the kids with a heavy hand but it was the only way he knew how. They lived in one of the worst parts of the city. So bad that the kids would have to step over drug addicts sleeping on their front steps to enter their building.
Despite the daily temptations outside their doors, Joe’s kids grew into amazing adults. All seven of them went to college and on to enjoy productive careers. And ten grandchildren followed.
Two weeks ago we took Joe to the Emergency Room for the last time. He was 86. Joe knew it was his time, and he was okay with it. He would say that he wasn’t a smart man, and then we would remind him of how he had such great children and a big smile would come across his face. He would then look at some of his youngest grandchildren and time enabled him to say the words to them that he had always felt for all of his kids, “Grandpa loves you. Grandpa loves you.”
Can you imagine a 14 year old doing this in today’s world? Not only sacrificing his childhood, but being selfless enough to provide for two families. One of Joe’s daughters wrote a tribute to her Dad, “To Baba, whose favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, and his last wish was for his family to be together.” Once Joe was sure that all seven of his kids were together on Thanksgiving, he took his last breath. I will always carry the memory of a man who sacrificed everything to ensure his family would stay together.
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